Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 23: Hundreds of farmers from Jammu and Samba districts today held a protest demonstration and blocked the Satwari Chowk.
The protesters were demanding Rs 20 lakh per kanal as compensation for their land being acquired for construction of Ring Road. They warned Government for destroying of their standing crops of wheat at night time.
The protest was organized jointly by various Kissan Unions and Kissan Morcha of Jammu led by Kissan leaders including Kulbhushan Khajuria, President JKEDA and assisted by Tajinder Singh Wazir, President JK Kissan Council, Sarat Dudey, Convener Ring Road Smiti JK, Davinder Sharma, President, Progressive Farmers Union and Bal Krishan.
Amid slogans, the protesting farmers criticized the State Government for paying a meager amount as compensation to the farmers for their land, which they said is a source of only income for them.
They asked the Government to pay at least four times more compensation, as has been fixed, for their land or pay the actual cost of the land by implementing Government of India Land Acquisition Order for the welfare of public in general and farmers in particular.
“In the interest of poor and small farmers, J&K Government should take immediate decision in this regard and save the aggrieved poor farmers from starvation in future instead of evicting them from their land by paying meager amount of compensation”, said Tajinder Singh Wazir while addressing the protesting farmers.
Kulbhushan Khajuria said if some concrete measure is not taken by the Government in this regard, the small farmers will be forced to choose the path of committing suicide.
He appealed to the Government not to play such type of cruel joke with the plight of the farmers.
Kissan leaders further said that if some positive steps are not taken for desired compensation at the rate of Rs 20 lakh per kanal of land, they will not allow construction of ‘Ring Road’ by any agency of the Government.
Senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla was also present during the protest and asked the Government to redress the genuine demands of the farmers.
Later Rajeev Ranjan, DC Jammu called a high level meeting with farmer leaders and assure redresal to all their genuine demands.
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